HM Prison New Hall

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

HMP New Hall
LocationDial Wood, Flockton, Wakefield, West Yorkshire[1][2][3]
Security classFemale/Closed Category
Population360[4] (as of August 2015)
Managed byHM Prison Services
GovernorJulia Spence
WebsiteNew Hall at justice.gov.uk

HM Prison New Hall is a Closed Category prison for female adults, juveniles and young offenders. The prison is located in the village of Flockton (near Wakefield) in West Yorkshire, England. New Hall is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service.

History[]

In 1933, New Hall became the first prison to implement the then-experimental Open Prison system.[5] This was seen as a potential method for dealing with the combined problems of the rising numbers of prisoners and the lack of proper employment for them. At first, the prison was populated by prisoners from HMP Wakefield who were soon due to be released, but in 1961 the prison became a Senior Detention Centre for male young offenders.[6] It was during this time that, on some occasions, the 'Short, sharp shock' regime was introduced. In 1987 the prison was assigned to serve a different population, when it was re-designated for a second time to become a women's prison.[6]

In 1999, the BBC programme Jailbirds was filmed at the prison with the producers being given unlimited access to the inmates for a period of eight months.[7]

The prison today[]

Currently, New Hall is a closed female local prison which holds all categories of adult female prisoners. Beside this, it caters for young offenders and juveniles who are on Detention and Training Orders. Accommodation at the prison is mainly in cells. There is a mother & baby unit, health care centre, segregation unit and some dormitories.[8][9]

This prison provides full and part-time education courses for prisoners in areas such as business administration, food hygiene, literacy, numeracy and information technology, NVQ Hairdressing, BTEC and Art. New Hall has workshops where inmates can be given experience of assembly work, light textile work, catering and gardening. Employment and careers advice by the Jobcentre Plus is also available.[10] The prison's governor is Julia Spence.[11] The Ministry of Justice has received planning permission to install solar panels at the site in a bid to reduce the prison's carbon footprint.[12]

Notable inmates[]

Notable people held at the prison include:

  • Rosemary West, serial killer[13]
  • Katrina Walsh, killer[14]
  • Sarah Barrass, mother who in 2019 murdered two of her children and attempted to murder four others via poisoning and strangulation[15]

References[]

  1. ^ "New Hall Prison and Young Offender Institute". GOV.UK. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  2. ^ "HMP & YOI New Hall". DoingTime, a guide to prison and probation. 13 November 2013. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  3. ^ "HMP New Hall". The Law Pages. Retrieved 14 May 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ "Report on an unannounced inspection of HMP & YOI New Hall" (PDF). justiceinspectorates.gov.uk. August 2015. p. 5. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  5. ^ "The Howard League | New Hall". howardleague.org. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  6. ^ a b "Report on an unannounced inspection of HMP & YOI New Hall" (PDF). justiceinspectorates.gov.uk. August 2015. p. 7. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  7. ^ Devlin, Angela (16 March 1999). "The turn of the screws". The Independent. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  8. ^ "Prison inspection report 2008" (PDF). reports.ofsted.gov.uk. 5 November 2010. p. 4. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  9. ^ "PORRIDGE - THE FEMALE WAY". Wakefield Express. 20 April 2001. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  10. ^ Williams, Zoe (30 January 2015). "When prison works: inside New Hall, the women's prison where inmates are equals". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  11. ^ "New Hall Prison information". www.justice.gov.uk. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
  12. ^ Carney, James (14 June 2021). "Solar panels to be installed at New Hall prison near Wakefield". Wakefield Express. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  13. ^ Warburton, Dan; Davison, Emma (21 July 2019). "This is the reason Rose West has been moved to a West Yorkshire prison". Yorkshire Live. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  14. ^ Mitra, Shraman (31 July 2021). "Sarah Williams and Katrina Walsh Now: Where Are Sadie Hartley's Killers Today? Update". The Cinemaholic. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  15. ^ "Huddersfield woman tells of life on same prison wing as child killers Rose West and Sarah Barrass". Yorkshire Live. 23 June 2021. Retrieved 28 November 2021.

External links[]

Coordinates: 53°38′09″N 1°36′42″W / 53.6358°N 1.6118°W / 53.6358; -1.6118

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